Cessna 172N accident near Beaver Island, Michigan, October 6, 2001
On October 6, 2001 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N73630, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beaver Island, Michigan (Welke airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining directional control of the airplane during landing. The gusty crosswind and the berm were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 2001 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Beaver Island, Michigan · Welke · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N73630 · no longer on the register · serial 17267588
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed the right side of runway 35 and struck a berm while landing. In a written statement, the pilot said that a, "... sudden unexpected wind gust pushed and lifted [his] aircraft off runway 36. [The] aircraft came back down on the muddy edge, with the nose pointed northeast. Attempts to direct aircraft back towards the runway produced a skid, allowing the aircraft to continue in a northeasterly direction. Upon seeing the berm directly in front of the aircraft, I pulled back hard on the [yoke] and [applied] full left rudder. The aircraft gear (nose and left wheel) hit the top of the berm; the aircraft turned 180 degrees and came to rest. ... Two previous attempts at landing on 27 with go arounds indicated strong winds with varying direction..." The pilot listed no mechanical malfunction in his report of the accident. A weather reporting station located about 3 miles and 228 degrees from the accident site recorded the winds as 290 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 22 knots.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 159 hours in all; 102 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 89 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 28, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,424 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 2001; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVC Traverse City MI at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 6Y8 Beaver Island MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,500 ft by 140 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 12 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,800 ft; scat at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from SJX, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N73630 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.